As we near the end of summer (which doesn't happen until the Autumnal Equinox on Sept. 22), so too are we ending our tour through the Ayurvedic self-care practices for the sense organs. Our last stop is the skin, the largest organ in the body and a powerful source of sensory input. (You can read … Continue reading Love your Skin this Summer
As we continue our summer tour through the Ayurvedic self-care practices for the sense organs, we come next to the mouth and tongue. This is a sense organ most of us are used to caring for with the practices of brushing and flossing. There are some lovely Ayurvedic toothpastes and powders out there, Incorporating herbs … Continue reading Love your Mouth this Summer
The ears are often overlooked as powerful mediators of our experience, yet their importance roars to life when our hearing is compromised, say, by a cold or a change in air pressure while traveling, or when overwhelmed by loud construction noises or car alarms. Yet the melody of birdsong, or the buzz of summer's crickets, … Continue reading Love your Ears this Summer
Ayurveda particularly shines as a form of preventative or protective health care. The concept of dinacharya, or the daily healing routine, offers us specific practices to support each of our sense organs, the magical portals by which we encounter and experience the world around us. This month I will be sharing some of these daily practices with … Continue reading Love your Eyes this Summer
Ayurveda explains that all people pass through three major stages in life, each naturally dominated by a different dosha or energetic influence. We can think of that dominant dosha influence like a special toolbox that equips us with certain skills and strengths, and certain vulnerabilities. Childhood, the phase when we build the most bodily tissue, … Continue reading The Hidden Potential of Perimenopause Through an Ayurvedic Lens
Vedic Chanting is not about sounding pretty. You don’t need to have a “good voice” (whatever that is), and you don’t need to be a good singer. That’s not the point. It is a healing practice. When we chant in this traditional way, our nervous system settles. Our breath changes. Our mind reorganizes. In this … Continue reading What is the benefit of Vedic chanting?
Last week I had the great honor of teaching a 3-day program, “Awaken the Voice, Quiet the Mind,” at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas with over 100 participants. It felt like a true full-circle moment, coming back to my yoga roots where my fascination with Ayurveda was first sparked over 20 years ago - not … Continue reading The Entwined Paths of Ayurveda & Yoga
Are you feeling the weight of the world’s crises on your shoulders? If you have been marinating in uncertainty, outrage, or fear (or a combination of all three), it takes a toll on the psyche and the body. To keep our physical and mental containers strong, so we can be alert and responsive to the … Continue reading 3 Revolutionary Examples of “Self Care” for Our Time
Today is the first day of Pitru Paksha, a two-week period dedicated to honoring the ancestors in many communities throughout the Indian diaspora. While specific traditions and rituals vary, the common intent is to remember and make offerings to honor and literally "nourish" the ancestors, to acknowledge their contributions and to offer gifts of gratitude … Continue reading Honoring the Ancestors: the Observance of Pitru Paksha
Ojas is a substance made in every tissue of the body, and it corresponds to our vitality, energy reserves, and immunity. It’s not the energy we use in routine activities, but rather a deeper resource or buffer. It’s our natural protection against disease, general wear and tear, and premature aging. We use our Ojas whenever … Continue reading What Ojas is – and Why We Need Some!
Ivy Ingram, MA, AP 